First in a series where I review movies I've already reviewed, but want to review it again because something's changed. Looking forward to this being the first.
Boyhood, directed by Richard Linklater, is a great idea. Filming a "family" over 12 years is a great idea, and it worked out well. However, I'm only willing to go as far as "very good" for this film, based on a number of problems that I will detail below. Obviously, this will result in spoilers for the film, so if you haven't seen Boyhood, either click away or read on, depending on if you like spoilers.
First off, there's the problem of having 2 drunk husbands. If Olivia (Patricia Arquette) married one, and then another one was a casual fling that she broke off because she realized she was going down the rabbit hole again, that would've been a great way to show how Olivia had matured over the years. If she was able to gain perspective based on past relationships, it would've shown character growth. But having 2 alcoholic husbands is a step over the line. I realize that this situation is serious, and if this has happened to anyone, I am not trying to offend. With this perception of realism, it would've been great if Olivia gained perspective and called one off. But with 2, it gets way too repetitive.
Secondly, for all this praise this movie gets about the little things being shown, and none of the big things happening in this movie, that praise is a bunch of BS. While the majority of the movie focuses on the little things, like a camping trip or getting your head shaved off, there are quite a few big moments here as well. We see the return of a father that's been absent for a year. We see Olivia and Drunk Professor (don't feel like looking his name up) end their marriage. We see a birthday, albeit not a very special one. We see Mason (Ellar Coltrane) graduate from high school and his first day of college. All of which are very big moments. This isn't as much of a problem with the film per se, more like a problem with the critics creaming over it. Still, it's something I wanted to get off my chest.
Thirdly, the editing isn't all that great. The movie is 2.75 hours long, and it feels every second of that. There are random asides, like a college professor talking to himself for a full minute, or having two role models talk to Mason about responsibility, or having 2 drunk husbands, or Mason showing up at his house having drunk and smoked. All of these things could've been solved so easily and cut out a few minutes. Have the college professor limited to his 10 second introduction, have one role model talk to Mason about responsibility, have one drunk husband and the other be a fling, and have Ethan Hawke talk to Mason about his recent behavior, given that Mason Sr. (Hawke) was a smoker. All that saves time and helps the movie run a bit shorter.
Finally, some of the acting was a bit iffy. Patricia Arquette was there, but she didn't do much. She didn't really stretch her legs acting wise, and the only truly memorable scenes of her acting were her packing up the house and her saying "I thought there would be more." Also, Lorelei Linklater was really good those first few years, but as time went on, she got progressively worse. Her final scene with her bitching about how hungover she was turned out to be some of the worst acting I've seen all year.
All this being said, I do really like this film. The concept is great, the direction is inspired, and I did well up near the end. But, it's merely a very good movie. There are too many problems that hold it back. Masterpiece it is not.
3.5/5
B
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